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Back attack
By KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, LECANTO -- Lecanto's backfield is diverse. It has bruisers, shifters and speedsters -- players who can go the distance and get the all important yard. Each back is unique, but all share one key quality: unselfishness. "We don't care who gets the yards," junior Jarvis Patterson said. "We're all about the team thing." Tonight at 7:30, the Panthers play host to Eustis (4-5) in one of the Lecanto program's most important games. The Panthers (5-4) have a chance to finish with a winning season for the first time. Without the play of the backfield, they would not be in this position. "They've produced," Lecanto coach Dick Slack said. Big time. Each of the primary players in this group -- quarterback Phil Reed and running backs Terence Hollis, Bruce Lewis, Jarvis Patterson and Jeff Yearwood -- ranks among the county's top 10 in rushing yardage. Patterson is second in rushing and scoring. The Panthers run for 354 yards a game and are 5-1 when gaining 300 or more yards on the ground. The only blemish came in Week 1, when the special teams unit botched two extra points in a 13-12 loss to Tavares. "The backs have been great," offensive lineman Billy Simmons said. "We open the holes, and they get in there and make yardage." Patterson perhaps is Lecanto's most complete back. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior has abilities that rival those of any back on the North Suncoast. "Jarvis has all the tools," Slack said. "He can go inside or outside, and he's got tremendous speed and strength. He's maturing and finally understanding the things he can do. His work ethic at practice has improved tremendously." Hollis, a senior, is a shifty but hard-nosed player who specializes on the interior. He also has the speed to gain big chunks of yardage on the outside. Lewis primarily is a blocking back and short-yardage specialist. In a 26-13 upset of Central in September, the senior rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Yearwood, a 5-7, 160-pound senior, is among the Panthers' smallest players -- and toughest. A reliable runner, Yearwood has breakaway speed. Reed, a physical 6-1, 200-pound junior quarterback, is a weightlifting fanatic and one of the area's toughest players to tackle. He is not only the leader of this group, but the heart and soul of the offense. "They've all worked hard, and they work well together," Slack said. "Each has his own strength, and they complement each other well." The backfield almost always is on the same page, which is why this team is one victory away from going down in the books as the most successful in school history. "As long as we come out with the win, it doesn't matter who gets the ball," Lewis said.
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